Waking gasping after falling asleep every night

[Oomling]

I went through a really stressful period a couple of months ago which saw me get quite ill. Since that started, I’ve had a really horrible symptom and I just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas what else I could check.

basically every night when I fall asleep, I wake in a complete panic about an hour later. This repeats until about 1/2am when I finally fall into a deep sleep. Sometimes I wake with a really dry mouth and had to neck some water, sometimes it’s just a blip panic wake up and other times it’s a really scary breathing episode and I always have to get up and walk around to calm myself down.

sleep study requested- taking forever
bloods done for most things but more next week for full thyroid panel, b12, ferritin, hormones.

i have never felt so alone or exhausted. I can’t have a single night without it. Am I missing anything obvious?

I think it’s sudden onset sleep apnea but I don’t snore, gasp or mouth breathe and I’m not hugely overweight so my GP is less convinced.

I am 39, almost 40. Slightly overweight. Have noticed it is far worse before and on my period.

Was going to say sleep apnea.

Are you sure you don't snore?

Could be anxiety related given it started straight after the stressful period?

Husband swears I’m a silent sleeper and I will be dead asleep and then just sit bolt upright in a panic, no noise at all!

Do you sleep on your back? If you do, might be worth forcing yourself to sleep on your side. Alternatively can you sleep propped up and see if it still happens?
Has whatever was causing the stress stopped now? It sounds like it’s probably related

Sleep paralysis?

It can take on several forms. I have auditory hallucinations with mine and it’s worse during times of stress and anxiety. I’ve had sleep paralysis since my early 20s - don’t laugh but when it first happened I thought I was being possessed! I saw a medium who ‘confirmed’ my theory. It was 1992.
A few months later I came across an article describing similar and discovered that i wasn’t being possessed after all.

Lie on your side or belly.
Have a glass of water nearby.
Open the window so the room is not too hot.
I would guess Sleep Apnea or snoring.

Good idea to have a sleep assessment in a sleep lab..
Hire a CPAP machine to see if it improves your sleep.

My husband was waking gasping for breath, turns up he has silent reflux. Gaviscon sorts it.

I’m a side sleeper generally but I’ve noticed it doesn’t happen as much when I’m on the sofa as my neck is higher up- could be related!

Oh I mean it could be? I don’t generally have a nightmare though, it’s all very- panic you’ve stopped breathing and pace around for a bit

I have this OP. For me I think it's stress related. I often wake up in a state of panic. Always very soon after going to sleep. It's not good!

I would suspect this too!

I have a similar issue where I wake up gasping for air or coughing and spluttering. It’s not all the time but I generally find that sleeping propped up helps. I’ve done a lot of googling and I think mine is some sort of post nasal drip, although PPs silent reflux suggestion is definitely worth exploring (going to look into it for me too).

I had this. I had low ferritin. I've taken iron supplements now and it has gone. It really is a horrible feeling!

Any chance at all you take magnesium? I wake up as if in a shock when on it and feel really rough

Ive had this when going through a stressful time. I think it was my body feeling like it wasnt safe to relax so would keep waking me up with an adrenaline rush.

I’m really hoping something like this will show on my blood tests! I guess it just feels like I’ve actually stopped breathing which is making me think more apnea.

Sometimes- I get this wake up every night regardless of whether I take it or not though! Good to know

My immediate first thought was sleep apnoea. One of my relatives has it. Have a look at the symptoms on t'internet.

I get this! I wondered if it was sleep apnoea, but I'm not overweight, don't drink alcohol or smoke, am very fit and it is only occasionally when it will be every night for a week and then not again for another six months.

But it is horrible. I have to get up and go downstairs to wake up properly before I dare fall asleep again.

Yes I get this for the same reason I think. It’s always worse after a cold.

I've never had this chronically but have experienced similar issues occasionally during periods of high stress. I think it's anxiety related. What're your bedtime routines like? I aim for as downregulating as possible - low lights, soothing music or meditation, maybe a tea or hot water bottle or something else relaxing for my body.

My husband sometimes snores or has sleep apnea, also linked to stress, and he finds guided body meditation before bed helps.

I had this, I was terribly stressed at the time with my Uni work, it's since calmed down now that I am finished.
I never went to the GP about it but I also googled and it seems it was a form of sleep apnea, brought on by stress. I also had it in the past during a stressful time as well, but if I slept on my side that really helped.
It is awful and scary, just bolting upwards gasping for breath, thinking we are going to die. It's the body's fight or flight mode activated, when we are stressed and we are trying to relax, because our minds are in overdrive, the brain translates relaxing of the throat muscles as a warning, or something like that anyway, I looked into it.

I have something similar OP and like you don't fit the 'profile' that GPs give a shit about for sleep apnea. I also don't snore

My GP refused to submit me for further diagnosis actually. I eventually saw an ENT specialist via my work insurance. He told me it could either be silent reflux or my massive bloody tonsils touching when I fall asleep and my muscles relax, closing my airway! Much like you I wake up gasping for breath either as I fall asleep or a few mins after dropping off

Persist with the sleep study and don't be fobbed off because you're a woman instead of a fat bloke

Do you remember what you're dreaming at the time? I go through some periods where this can happen (though more waking up with a gasp and shock rather than sitting upright). I'm usually dreaming about something relating to a specific trauma at the time, so I think it's anxiety related. It is unsettling to wake up that way.

That said, I've recently had an iron infusion for low ferritin, and I notice some people seem to think there's a link.

I had this while going though a really stressful time, quite recently. hated going to sleep as I knew it was going to happen. It is horrible. For me it was related to a long period of caring for someone very close and the subsequent death. It’s just stopped now. Worth talking to a gap definitely, I didn’t but should have.

Interesting. I too often feel like I'm choking just as I'm about to fall asleep or just after I've fallen asleep. It feels like I've forgotten to breathe or that something is obstructing my breathing. Usually my heart is racing too and I then have to do some deep breathing to calm everything down.

I don't know if I snore or not. I'm not overweight.

I also find that it happens less if I'm propped up on several pillows.